Board debate over auditor RFP and enrollment decline spotlights finance committee concerns

At its Sept. 16 meeting, the Montgomery Township Board of Education debated replacing the district’s long‑time auditing firm and spent extended time reviewing enrollment decline and retention concerns raised by board members and the public.

The operations, facilities and finance committee reported on planning for the 2026–27 budget, the upcoming audit schedule and corrective work at the high school pool after a failed electrical inspection. The committee emphasized food‑security priorities and requested multi‑year enrollment and free/reduced lunch participation reports to support budget planning.

A board member urged replacing the existing auditor with a firm that would provide a more robust review of internal controls and professional development for the business office. That board member argued the selected proposer would dedicate substantially more time to internal‑control reviews and could access resources through an affiliation with a larger accounting firm. The board considered a motion to amend the agenda to substitute a different auditor for agenda item 3.9; that motion failed to change the agenda on a roll call.

Board members also pressed the administration for longitudinal retention data after noting the district’s reported enrollment drop from 4,203 in 2016 to about 4,291 in the current year (figures discussed during the meeting). Board members and members of the public connected enrollment decline to potential budgetary pressures, noting that, in the board’s discussion, an approximate loss of four students was equated to one average teacher salary in illustrative remarks. District staff said a recent demographic study is available online and offered to present the district’s most recent demographic analysis and longitudinal enrollment reports at a future meeting. Staff cautioned that “retention rate” is not the same as the state’s published enrollment counts and that calculating year‑to‑year retention requires matching cohorts across years.

Why it matters: Board members said clearer longitudinal enrollment and retention data are necessary to inform budget decisions and program planning, and some urged that a fresh external audit could identify process weaknesses and provide training to improve internal controls in the business office.

Public comment reflected concern about governance and the possible consequences of board actions on staff retention. Several speakers, including teachers and principals, warned that public criticism of educators and public disputes at the board table risked discouraging applicants and increasing staff turnover.

Next steps: The administration said it will provide the board with the most recent demographic study, enrollment reports and a plan for follow‑up on audit recommendations and internal controls. The board did not finalize an auditor change during the meeting; the existing agenda item for auditor selection remained on the agenda and was carried as part of an omnibus approval of items 1.1–4.4.